Jake Paul has stated that he will retire from the sport of boxing if he suffers a defeat against mixed martial arts star Cedric Doumbe in Dubai on 24 December. BBC Sport reported that the upcoming bout will mark Paul’s first appearance in the ring since being stopped by former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua last December.
Return From Injury
During his contest against Joshua, the British fighter broke Paul’s jaw, requiring the American to undergo surgery to have two titanium plates fitted and several teeth removed. Following the injuries sustained in that match, Paul admitted in May that his boxing career was in serious doubt.
The upcoming encounter will be a professionally sanctioned eight-round cruiserweight bout where both fighters will use 10oz gloves. Throughout his professional career, the 29-year-old American has secured 12 victories out of 14 fights, with his only two losses coming against Tommy Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Paul previously earned a spot in the WBA cruiserweight rankings in July 2025 following a victory over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. However, he lost that ranking in January after suffering a sixth-round stoppage against Joshua, a fight in which he was knocked down twice.
The Opponent and Stakes
Paul’s opponent, Cedric Doumbe, is a Cameroonian-born French athlete who transitioned from a multi-time kickboxing world champion to an MMA fighter. The 34-year-old is signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL), an MMA promotion that merged with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in July.
Doumbe has triumphed in two of his three fights since joining the PFL in 2023, though he has only contested one professional boxing match previously, which he won in 2015.
As reported by BBC Sport, Paul addressed the matchup in a social media video, calling it a dangerous fight against a two-time world champion who is not afraid of anyone. “If he wins, I will hang up the gloves and call it a day, but if he loses, the man who calls himself ‘The Best’ just got beat up by a YouTuber with a titanium jaw,” Paul said.
The fight is scheduled to take place on Christmas Eve in the Middle East.
